Placeholder Text for Designs and Mockups
When you design a website, an app screen, a brochure or a presentation, the real text is often not ready yet. Filling the space with “text text text” looks odd and doesn’t show how paragraphs will actually flow. Lorem Ipsum solves this: it has the rhythm and word lengths of real writing, but because it is meaningless, people reviewing the design focus on layout and typography instead of the words.
This generator creates any number of paragraphs, sentences or words, optionally wrapped in HTML tags, and lets you choose whether to start with the classic “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet…”.
How to Use the Lorem Ipsum Generator
- Under Generate What?, choose paragraphs, sentences or words.
- Set the amount with the slider.
- Turn on Include HTML Tags if you want each paragraph wrapped in
<p>tags. - Keep Start with ‘Lorem ipsum…’ on for the traditional opening, or turn it off for random text.
- Copy the output or download it. The word and character counts help you match a target length.
A Short History of Lorem Ipsum
Lorem Ipsum has been the printing industry’s standard dummy text since the 1500s, when an unknown printer scrambled a passage of Latin to make a type specimen book. Its source was identified much later: sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of De finibus bonorum et malorum (“On the Ends of Good and Evil”), written by Cicero in 45 BC.
The text survived the move from metal type to digital publishing. It became popular in the 1960s through Letraset transfer sheets and later shipped with desktop publishing software, which is why designers around the world still recognise it instantly.
When to Use Paragraphs, Sentences or Words
| Option | Best for |
|---|---|
| Paragraphs | Blog post templates, article pages, About sections |
| Sentences | Product descriptions, cards, testimonials, short intros |
| Words | Headings, buttons, menu items, table cells |
Tips for Using Placeholder Text Well
- Match the real length. If the final product description will be about 40 words, generate about 40 words. Designs built around the wrong length often break when real content arrives.
- Use real headings where you can. Placeholder body text is fine, but real headings help clients understand the page structure.
- Test long and short versions. Try both a very short and a very long paragraph to make sure the layout handles both.
- Search before you publish. Search your site or documents for “lorem” before going live to make sure no dummy text is left behind.
Related Tools
- Word Counter — check the length of your real content once it replaces the placeholder.
- HTML Formatter — tidy up the HTML around your text.
- Case Converter — format headings consistently.